A mask with half-etched holes

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of OLED device manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a mask plate with half-etched holes. The mask plate with half-etched holes comprises multiple horizontally arranged mask plates and at least one shielding member; the mask plates comprise an opening area and a non-opening area; the opening area is vertically provided with multiple through holes, each through hole corresponding to a pixel pit on a substrate; the top surface of the shielding member is provided with multiple half-etched pits; the half-etched pits are used to absorb dust; each half-etched pit corresponds to one or more pixel pits on the substrate. The mask plate of the present invention can effectively absorb dust in and near the pixel pits during the vacuum evaporation process, thereby effectively ensuring the quality of the pixels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of OLED device manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a mask plate with a half-etched hole. Background Art

[0002] Currently, OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays are replacing LCDs (liquid crystal displays), which have already dominated the market, with their superior performance. The vapor deposition machines used to manufacture OLED devices require precision metal masks (FMMs), and displays produced using FMMs offer exceptional performance. Large-sized OLED devices require large substrates, and larger substrates increase production efficiency. Larger substrates, in turn, require correspondingly larger mask plates. The larger the mask plate, the greater its exposure to environmental factors such as gravity and temperature, leading to greater deformation. An existing patent document (CN115786846B) proposes a method for manufacturing large-sized OLED devices. This method involves splitting a single large mask plate, used for coating the large-screen light-emitting layer, into multiple narrow, complementary mask plates. Shielding sections are provided between the multiple mask plates on the mask plate. During use, the plates are aligned and vapor-deposited on the same substrate, then spliced ​​together to create a complete large-screen light-emitting layer pattern. However, this design still has some defects. For example, if there is dust on the shielding part and the non-opening area of ​​the mask, it may be contaminated on the substrate display area (AA area), thereby causing pixel luminescence defects.

[0003] It can be seen that the existing technology still needs to be improved and enhanced. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a mask plate with a half-etched hole, aiming to solve the technical problem in the prior art that dust on the shielding part may contaminate the substrate display area and cause pixel luminescence defects.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a mask plate with half-etched holes, comprising a plurality of mask plates arranged horizontally and at least one shielding member; the mask plates include an opening area and a non-opening area; a plurality of through holes are vertically arranged in the opening area, each through hole corresponding to a pixel pit on a substrate; a plurality of half-etched pits are arranged on the top surface of the shielding member; the half-etched pits are used to absorb dust; and each half-etched pit corresponds to one or more pixel pits on the substrate.

[0007] The mask plate with half-etched holes, wherein a plurality of half-etched pits are provided on the top surface of the non-opening area of ​​the mask plate.

[0008] The mask plate with half-etched holes further comprises a first supporting frame, wherein a plurality of supporting beams are provided in the first supporting frame, and the two ends of the mask plate and the shielding member are respectively fixed on the supporting beams.

[0009] The mask plate with half-etched holes, wherein a first connecting portion is provided on one side or both left and right sides of the mask plate and the shielding member; a first groove is provided on the top surface of the support beam; the first connecting portion is fixed in the first groove; and the first grooves are respectively provided on both sides of the first support frame.

[0010] In the mask plate with the half-etched hole, the first connecting portion extends obliquely downward toward the outside; the left groove wall and the right groove wall of the first groove extend obliquely downward toward each other and are adapted to the first connecting portion.

[0011] The mask plate with half-etched holes, wherein second grooves are provided on both sides of the top surface of the support beam; second connecting parts are provided on the left and right sides of the mask plate and the shielding member; the shielding member is fixed to the middle of the top surface of the support beam, and the second connecting parts at both ends are respectively inserted into the two second grooves; the second connecting parts at both ends of the mask plate are respectively inserted into the second grooves of the two support beams.

[0012] The mask plate with half-etched holes further includes a second supporting frame; a plurality of shielding members are fixed in the second supporting frame and arranged horizontally; the shielding members are used for shielding and supporting the mask plate.

[0013] The mask plate with the half-etched hole, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the half-etched pit is an inverted trapezoid.

[0014] The mask plate with half-etched holes, wherein an adsorption structure is provided in the half-etched pit; the adsorption structure is provided with a plurality of pits or slits; the pits or slits are used to adsorb and fix dust particles.

[0015] The mask plate with the half-etched holes, wherein the bottom of the half-etched pits is filled with a dust absorbent.

[0016] The mask plate with the half-etched holes, wherein the bottom of the half-etched pits is filled with a dust absorbent.

[0017] The mask plate with half-etched holes, wherein the dust adsorbent includes at least one of porous metal, porous ceramic and adhesive.

[0018] Beneficial Effects: The present invention provides a mask with half-etched holes. The top surface of the mask sheet and shielding member of the mask, i.e., the side facing the substrate during use, is provided with multiple half-etched pits for absorbing dust. During film deposition, these pits absorb dust in and around the pixel pits, thereby reducing the impact of dust on the substrate's display area and ensuring pixel luminescence quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the mask plate Figure 1 .

[0020] Figure 2 A top view of the mask.

[0021] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the mask plate Figure 2 .

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the mask plate Figure 3 .

[0023] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the mask plate Figure 4 .

[0024] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the mask plate Figure 5 .

[0025] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of a half-etched pit Figure 1 .

[0026] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of a half-etched pit Figure 2 .

[0027] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of a half-etched pit Figure 3 .

[0028] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of a half-etched pit Figure 4 .

[0029] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of a half-etched pit Figure 5 .

[0030] Explanation of the main component symbols: X1-substrate, X11-pixel pit, 1-mask, 11-through hole, 2-shielding member, 3-half-etched pit, 12-first connecting part, 4-first supporting frame, 41-supporting beam, 42-first groove, 21-second connecting part, 43-second groove, 44-sub-groove body, 31-adsorption structure, 311-slit, 32-dust adsorbent. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention provides a mask having a half-etched hole. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and effects of the present invention more clear and explicit, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "left", "right", etc. indicate directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, and a specific direction structure and operation, and therefore, cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. In addition, "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means more than two.

[0033] See also Figure 1 The present invention provides a mask plate with half-etched holes, comprising a plurality of mask sheets 1 arranged horizontally and at least one shielding member 2; the mask sheet 1 comprises an opening area and a non-opening area; a plurality of through holes 11 are vertically arranged in the opening area, and each through hole 11 corresponds to a pixel pit X11 on a substrate X1; a plurality of half-etched pits 3 are arranged on the top surface of the shielding member 2; the half-etched pits 3 are used to absorb dust; each half-etched pit 3 corresponds to one or more pixel pits X11 on the substrate X1.

[0034] According to design requirements, in one embodiment, the mask plate is composed of multiple mask sheets 1 and multiple shielding members 2. The positions of the opening areas and the non-opening areas of the multiple mask sheets 1 can be the same or different.

[0035] When in use, the half-pit 3 faces the substrate X1, and dust falls into the half-pit 3 under the influence of gravity, van der Waals force, electrostatic Coulomb force and other forces, and is fixed in the half-pit 3, thereby greatly reducing the dust from entering the pixel pit X11 and ensuring the quality of the pixel.

[0036] Specifically, the positions of the plurality of half-etched pits 3 can be set as needed, for example, they can be distributed corresponding to the pixel pits X11 of the substrate X1 (eg Figure 3 ), or it can be an interval distribution (such as Figure 4 ), for example, in the matrix on the top surface of the shielding member 2, the half-etched pits 3 are only arranged in the first column, the fourth column, the seventh column, etc. 1+3x columns.

[0037] See also Figure 1The top surface of the non-opening area of ​​the mask 1 is also provided with a plurality of half-etched pits 3 .

[0038] See also Figure 3 In one embodiment, one half-pit 3 corresponds to one pixel pit X11, and the size of the opening of the half-pit 3 corresponds to the size of the opening of the pixel pit X11. Preferably, the opening area of ​​the half-pit 3 is less than or equal to the opening area of ​​the corresponding pixel pit X11. The shape of the opening of the half-pit 3 also does not exceed the opening range of the pixel pit X11. This prevents dust that falls into the half-pit 3 from escaping. This ensures that the support of the mask plate on the substrate X1 is not changed, and also prevents dust that falls into the half-pit 3 from escaping.

[0039] See also Figure 7 In another embodiment, one half-pit 3 corresponds to multiple pixel pits X11, and the size of the pit opening of the half-pit 3 corresponds to the area size of the region where the multiple pixel pits X11 are located.

[0040] See also Figure 7-Figure 9 The cross section of the half pit 3 in the vertical direction can be a regular trapezoid, a rectangle or an inverted trapezoid. The regular trapezoid design allows large dust particles to easily fall into the half pit 3.

[0041] Preferably, the cross-section of the half-etched pit 3 is an inverted trapezoidal shape. The inverted trapezoidal design can prevent small particles of dust from escaping after falling into it.

[0042] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one embodiment, the mask plate with the half-etched holes further includes a first support frame 4, within which are disposed a plurality of support beams 41. The mask sheet 1 and shielding member 2 are secured at both ends to the support beams 41. In this embodiment, the shielding member 2 is sheet-shaped and has the same thickness as the mask sheet 1. The plurality of support beams 41 are arranged sequentially. During use, the mask sheet 1 and shielding member 2 are placed within the first support frame 4 and secured.

[0043] See also Figure 3 In one embodiment, the mask sheet 1 and shielding member 2 are provided with a first connecting portion 12 on one side or both sides; the top surface of the support beam 41 is provided with a first groove 42; the first connecting portion 12 is fixed within the first groove 42; and the first groove 42 is provided on both sides of the first support frame 4. Specifically, the shielding member 2 can be fixed by welding or detachably fixed by a snap-fit ​​structure.

[0044] See also Figure 3Preferably, the first connecting portion 12 extends obliquely downward outward; the left and right groove walls of the first groove 42 extend obliquely downward toward each other and adapt to the first connecting portion 12. In this embodiment, the ends of the mask 1 and the shielding member 2 are respectively inserted into the two first grooves 42 to complete the fixation.

[0045] Preferably, the first groove 42 is a V-shaped groove. The V-shaped groove design can also effectively absorb dust, thereby improving the overall dust absorption effect. After the first connecting portion 12 is fixed in the first groove 42, it can further form a sub-groove body 44 with a gap at the top. The sub-groove body 44 also plays a role in absorbing and fixing dust. During use, dust can slide along the inclined first connecting portion 12 into the sub-groove body 44, and the provision of the gap makes it difficult for dust to escape from the sub-groove body 44.

[0046] See also Figure 5 In one embodiment, second grooves 43 are provided on both sides of the top surface of the support beam 41; second connecting portions 21 are provided on the left and right sides of the mask sheet 1 and the shielding member 2; the shielding member 2 is fixed to the middle of the top surface of the support beam 41, and the second connecting portions 21 at both ends thereof are respectively inserted into the two second grooves 43; the second connecting portions 21 at both ends of the mask sheet 1 are respectively inserted into the second grooves 43 of the two support beams 41. When the shielding member 2 is made into a sheet shape, the thickness is relatively small, and the density of the set half-etched pits 3 needs to be considered. If the density of the half-etched pits 3 is too large, the strength of the sheet-shaped shielding member 2 will be insufficient. In this embodiment, by fixing the shielding member 2 on the support beam 41 and supporting the shielding member 2 through the support beam 41, the shielding member 2 does not need to worry about insufficient strength, and can be covered with half-etched pits 3, thereby improving the dust adsorption effect.

[0047] See also Figure 6 In one embodiment, the mask plate with half-etched holes further includes a second support frame; a plurality of shielding members 2 are fixed within the second support frame and arranged horizontally; the shielding members 2 are used for shielding and supporting the mask plate 1. In this embodiment, the shielding members 2 also serve as support beams 41 and are part of the second support frame. Compared to the support beams 41 of the first support frame 4, the shielding members 2 of this embodiment not only serve to shield and absorb dust, but also support and secure the mask plate 1. Furthermore, the shielding members 2 are strong enough to allow the top surface to be covered with half-etched pits 3.

[0048] See also Figure 10In one embodiment, a suction structure 31 is disposed within the half-pit 3; the suction structure 31 is provided with a plurality of recesses or slits 311; the recesses or slits 311 are configured to absorb and retain dust particles. The suction structure 31 can further enhance the dust absorption efficiency of the half-pit 3. Preferably, the widths of the slits 311 are not uniform; slits 311 of varying widths can better absorb and retain dust particles of varying sizes.

[0049] See also Figure 8 In one embodiment, the diameter of the middle portion of the through hole 11 is smaller than the diameters of the bottom and top portions. The diameter of the through hole 11 gradually increases from the middle portion toward the upper and lower ends.

[0050] See also Figure 11 In one embodiment, the bottom of the half-etched pit 3 is filled with a dust adsorbent 32. The dust adsorbent 32 can improve the adsorption and fixation effect of dust. Preferably, the dust adsorbent 32 includes at least one of porous metal, porous ceramic, and adhesive.

[0051] Specifically, the method of using the mask plate of this embodiment is as follows:

[0052] First, select the mask sheet 1 and shielding element 2 according to the design requirements. Then, they are stretched onto the support frame to form the mask plate. After assembly, the mask plate is cleaned. After cleaning, a dust absorber 32 is placed into the half-etched pit 3. The dust absorber 32 can be injected using inkjet printing or coating. After injection, the absorber is baked to solidify and secure the dust absorber 32. The mask plate is then introduced into a vacuum device and vacuum-coated multiple times. After completion, the mask plate is removed from the vacuum device and cleaned to remove dust and dust absorber 32 adsorbed on the mask plate before entering the next cycle.

[0053] In summary, the present invention, by providing multiple half-pits 3 on the top surfaces of the mask sheet 1 and shielding member 2, captures and fixes dust, thereby reducing the impact of dust on pixel formation during the vacuum coating process. This method is applicable to both FMM and CMM. Furthermore, the present invention can further inject a dust adsorbent 32 into the half-pits 3 to enhance dust capture.

[0054] It is understandable that those skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or changes based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, and all these changes or substitutions should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. A mask with a half-etched hole, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of mask sheets arranged horizontally and at least one shielding member; the mask sheet comprises an opening area and a non-opening area; a plurality of through holes are vertically arranged in the opening area, and each through hole corresponds to a pixel pit on the substrate; a plurality of half-pits are arranged on the top surface of the shielding member; the half-pits are used to absorb dust; each half-pit corresponds to one or more pixel pits on the substrate; an adsorption structure is arranged in the half-pit and / or the bottom of the half-pit is filled with a dust adsorbent; a plurality of pits or slits are arranged on the adsorption structure; the pits or slits are used to absorb and fix dust particles.

2. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of half-etched pits are provided on the top surface of the non-opening area of ​​the mask.

3. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a first supporting frame, wherein a plurality of supporting beams are provided in the first supporting frame, and the two ends of the mask sheet and the shielding member are respectively fixed on the supporting beams.

4. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 3, characterized in that: A first connecting portion is provided on one side or both left and right sides of the mask sheet and the shielding member; a first groove is provided on the top surface of the support beam; the first connecting portion is fixed in the first groove; and the first grooves are respectively provided on both sides of the first support frame.

5. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first connecting portion extends obliquely downward toward the outside; the left groove wall and the right groove wall of the first groove extend obliquely downward toward each other and are adapted to the first connecting portion.

6. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 3, characterized in that: Second grooves are provided on both sides of the top surface of the support beam; second connecting parts are provided on the left and right sides of the mask sheet and the shielding member; the shielding member is fixed to the middle of the top surface of the support beam, and the second connecting parts at both ends are respectively inserted into the two second grooves; the second connecting parts at both ends of the mask sheet are respectively inserted into the second grooves of the two support beams.

7. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a second supporting frame; a plurality of shielding members are fixed in the second supporting frame and arranged horizontally; the shielding members are used for shielding and supporting the mask.

8. The mask with half-etched holes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-section of the half-etched pit is an inverted trapezoid.

9. The mask with half-etched holes according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The dust adsorbent includes at least one of porous metal, porous ceramic and adhesive.

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